Truck bolster



May 8, 1934. H, WQLFE 1,957,570

TRUCK BOLSTER Filed Nov. 23, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 H. H. WOLFE TRUCK BOLSTER May 8, 1934.,

iiied Novz 23; 12:31 2 Sheets-Sheet gin mute;

Patented May 8, 1934 1 OFFICE TRUCK BOLS'EER Harry M. Wolfe, Golumbus, Ohio, assignor to The Buckeye Steel Castings Company, Columbus,

Ulric Application November 23, 1931, Serial No. 576,9ti

i3 Gila-s. (Ci. Elm -236i) This invention relatesto improvements in car truck bolsters, and more particularly to a novel center post and rib construction for such bolsters.

ihe railroads have periodically increased their {9 requirements for design tests in an effort to get stronger castings to meet the more severe service required of freight cars and which reflects in the truck of which the bolster is a member.

Tests are made by supporting the bolster at its ends or spring seat portions in a test machine,

and then applying known loads on the center plate or on a side bearing of the bolster. The deflection and permanent set determined under lmown loads are considered a measuring stick for the strength of the design. The results of tests and experiments, however, do not always follow the theoretical calculations, and it is necessary to supplement theory withmodiflcations determined from results of experiment.

This may be more clearly understood when consideration is made of the fact that the usual procedure in designing bolsters is to calculate the sections in accordance with the theory oi flexure of simple beams. This theory is based on assumptions that work very well when a solid beam ofrectangular cross section or, in other words, a simple beam is considered,- but the further a member departs from the simple beam, such as the hollow box-like construction of a bolster, the less the beam theory holds, and practical modifications as mentioned above, have to be made to secure the proper strength.

Foundry practice is also a limiting iactor in bolster design.

The primary object of/the present invention is to provide a bolster that can be made stronger in a much greater proportion than can be obtained with the same amount oi metal used in the ordinary box section bolster.

With the foregoing object outlined and with other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in 'the novel features hereinafter described in detail,

illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view 0! one-half of one form of the bolster.

Fig. 2 is a. vertical sectional view of the same on the line 2-2 01' Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 2. K

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view or the bolster, taken through the center of the 55 same.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of a detail of a modification.

Before proceeding with a detail description of the invention, it will be observed that the medial portions or center post portions of all forms of 89 the bolster are identical.

Referring first to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and i, it may be seen that my proposed center post construction 1 is arranged to better distribute the load on the center plate to the bottom member, and is accomplished by making the center post more oi a truss-like construction than a strut. It will be noted that the end walls 2 oi the center post, diverge from the center plate 3 to the bottom W i, which will have the eflect oi relieving the concentration of the load on the center plate when carried by the bottom of the bolster. Ribs 9 at each side of the center post, tie that mem bar to the side walls of the bolster, and in conifs I nection with the hing pin seat 10, prevent buckling oi the center post and also the side walls in the vicinity of the center of the bolster.

To further strengthen the bolster, I have reinforced the top member 5' by means of ribs 6 which are continuations oi the side walls of the center post, and extend away from said post. These ribs merge into the top and they also merge into a depending flange '7 of annular formation. Other ribs 8 connect the top and bottom of the bolster, $5 and extend from the flange 7 to the end of the bolster. When the bolster is subjected to load, its

' top has a tendency to cave in, in the region of the opening 11, which opening is desirable from. the

standpoint of foundry practice, and as this caving W in produces deformation of the bolster, the rib and flange construction described above, prevents such deformation from taking place.

The curved medial portion oi the bottom 4 has a tendency to straighten out under load, accompanied by a considerable deflection oi the bolster as a whole, and to relieve this, I have so constructed the reinforcement around the opening 12 in the bottom as to straighten the neutral axis of that member. This is accomplished by making 1 0 the annular flange 13 which surrounds the opening, deeper at the middle, as at A, than at the ends or the opening, as at B, and it will be observed from Figs. 2 and 3 that the flange 13 joins the center post at one end, and at its opposite end, merges into the vertical ribs 8.

As heretofore mentioned, the top tends to cave in around the opening 11, (Fig. 1), caused by a dip in the neutral axis or the-top at that location. In order to keep the neutral axis in as nearly a straight line as possible, and still compensate the top for metal removed due to the opening 11, I provide the construction shown in Fig. 5. This is an alternate construction for the flange 7 of Figs. 1 and 2. In Fig. 5 the top 5 1 has convex top and bottom surfaces, as shown at 22, and is lens-like in its vertical longitudinal section, but here also, this thickened portion of the top is joined by ribs 6a to the sides of the center post id.

The main advantage of the various modifications, is that deflection and permanent set of the bolster under load are reduced, and the bolster is able to carry a much greater load without permanent deformation. The above can be accomplished with no addition in weight for some of the modifications; or with a slight addition in weight, much less in proportion to the advantage gained.

While I have disclosed what I now consider to be preferred embodiments of the invention in such manner that the same may be readily understood by those skilled in the art, I am aware that changes may be made in the details disclosed, without departing from the spirit of the invention, as expressed in the claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters- Patent is:

l. A car truck bolster having a box section and provided at its central portion with a center post, an end of the bolster being reinforced by internal vertical ribs, and reinforcements for the top and bottom of the bolster joining the ribs to the center post.

2. A hollow car truck bolster having a downwardly flaring center post and an opening in its top, a reinforcing flange for the top arranged about said opening, and a reinforcing rib joining said flange to the center post.

3. A hollow car truck bolster having a downwardly flaring center post and an opening in its top, a reinforcing flange for the top arranged about said opening, and a reinforcing rib joining said flange to the center post, the flange being arranged on the interior of the bolster.

4. A hollow car truck bolster having a downwardly flaring center post and an opening in its top, a reinforcing flange for the top arranged about said opening, and a reinforcing rib joining said flange to the center post, the flange and rib being arranged on the interior of the bolster.

5. A car truck bolster of hollow form, provided at its medial portion with an internal center post, opposite walls of said post diverging downwardly from the top to the bottom of the bolster, and ties joining sides of thecenter post to the sides of the bolster.

6. A car truck bolster of hollow form, provided at its medial portion with an internal center post, opposite walls of said post diverging downwardly from the top to the bottom of the bolster, a king-pin seat joining opposite sides of the post, and ties merging at their ends into the sides of the bolster.v and into opposite sides of the post at the points where the ends of the king-pin seat are joined to the post.

'7. A hollow cast metal car truck bolster, provided at its medial portion with an internal hollow center post, said post having its upper end connected to the top of the bolster and its lower end united with the bottom of the bolster, said center post flaring downwardly, ties uniting the sides of the post to the sides of the bolster, and a king-pin seat arranged in the post and uniting opposite sides of the latter.

8. car truck bolster of hollow form having an internal downwardly flaring center post merging at its ends into the top and bottom of the bolster, said bolster having openings in its top and bottom arranged between the center post and the end of the bolster, and internal reinforcements within the bolster for reinforcing the portions of the top and bottom where said openings are located, said reinforcements including internal flanges surrounding the openings.

9. A car truck bolster of hollow form having an internal downwardly flaring center post merging at its ends into the top and bottom of the bolster, said bolster having openings in its top and bottom arranged between the center post and the end of the bolster, and internal reinforcements within the bolster for reinforcing the portions of the top and bottom where said openings are located, said reinforcements including internal flanges surrounding the openings, andribs joining said flanges to the post.

10. A cast metal car truck bolster of hollow form, provided at its medial portion with an internal downwardly flaring hollow center post, vertical reinforcements having their upper and lower ends merging into the top and bottom of the bolster, the top and bottom of the bolster having openings therein arranged between said ribs and the center post, and internal flanges surrounding said openings and joined to the ribs and post.

11. A cast metal car truck bolster of hollow form, having a top and bottom portion, a hollow downwardly flaring center post arranged within the medial portion of said bolster and joining said portions, vertical ribs arranged within an end of the bolster and joining said top and bottom portions, one of said portions having an opening therein, an internal flange surrounding said opening, and reinforcing means joining the flange to the center post and said reinforcing ribs.

12. A car truck bolster of hollow form, having an internal center post merging at its ends into the top and bottom portions of the bolster, said bolster having openings in its top and bottom arranged between the center post and the end of the bolster, an inwardly extending flange surrounding one of said openings, said flange being thicker at its medial portion than at its end portions.

13. A car truck bolster of hollow form, having an internal center post merging at its ends into the top and bottom of the bolster, said bolster having an opening in its top arranged between the center post and the end of the bolster, the top Where said opening is located being of substantially lens-like form in section.

HARRY H. WOLFE. 

